One of the classic styles, and one of the most fabulous beers steeped in history, Kölsch is often underrated and overlooked. But this beautiful beer promises so much and, if brewed correctly, will deliver, as Jake Brandish finds out.
Kölsch originates from the city of Köln (Cologne) in western Germany and whilst it was originally brewed back in the 1600s it really only came to the larger global market in the mid-1900s when breweries such as Früh and Sünner brought this age-old style to modern day popularity.
Nowadays, people travel to Cologne to indulge at one of the region’s dedicated breweries and there is nothing quite like sitting next to the Rhine on a warm summer’s afternoon taking in the surrounding architecture and history and a superb Kölsch or two!
Tradition and history
Kölsch is one of those beers that has plenty of tradition attached – not only the brewing methods that were used but by the drinking and serving methods too.
In Germany in the 1500s and beyond, brewing took off and the amount of grain being used started to threaten other industries and sources of food – so much so the famous Reinheitsgebot purity law was put in place by King William IV in 1516. He decreed that only water, barley and hops were to be used in the production of beer to protect the market and ensure there was enough grain for the likes of bread. Kölsch came under that law and brewers were carefully scrutinised, with confiscation being one of the penalties for producing “impure” beer. Gotta love those Germans!
While we are on the topic of what brewers were allowed and not allowed to do, Kölsch was one of those products like Champagne and only breweries within a defined region were permitted to brew it. The local breweries even formed the Kölner Brauer-kooperation to ensure their local brew was protected, who could brew it, its characteristics and how it was to be served.
At the time, pilsner and light lagers were the popular beer styles, so the brewers of Köln set about making their own version to keep the imported and other regional German beers out. Instead of cold bottom fermentation as used in lagers and pilsners, they used their warm top fermenting yeast which gave the fruity ester profile and made all the difference between a lager and their version. And so, Kölsch was born.
Kölsch is a beer that has its own drinkware too, which may not seem much of a big deal as just about every German style has its own recommended vessel. But the Stange is quite a unique, straight-walled glass where the name comes from the literal translation of “pole” or “rod”. I guess not much thought went into the marketing of the name but as I said before, you’ve got to love the Germans!
What is it?
The Germans are famous for doing many things properly, from engineering excellence to automobiles, and their approach to beer is the same. They just get it right so often and that’s certainly the case with Kölsch.
It’s a pretty simple beer, along the lines of lagers and pilsners of the day. It has been said that a Kölsch is a lager fermented with ale yeast, and that is pretty much what it is. A simple grain bill consisting of mostly pilsner malt with a little Vienna or Munich, German noble hops, specific (soft) water profile and the appropriate yeast.
As with pretty much any beer style the yeast and fermentation selection and profile is essential to get the best results. As with all brewing, it is getting the balance right that determines if it will be popular, and Kölsch is no different. Getting the balance of sweet and simple malt, German noble hop character and bitterness, and subtle apple and pear esters from the yeast is a balancing act which is pretty hard to do. But get all these right and you have a stunning beer with outstanding drinkability. Brewing a Kölsch is similar to brewing a lager or pilsner in that there are no bold hop characters to hide behind, and every fermentation issue will be picked up quite easily. The key to this is fermentation temperature, the (high) pitch rate of yeast, and the removal of DMS as this will be easily detected.
Kölsch is also one of those beer styles that is a perfect introduction to craft beer. Take a six-pack of Kölsch to a mate’s BBQ and you’ll have more mates than when you arrived. Over here in WA where I live, Eagle Bay’s Kölsch is a thing of beauty and has been the gateway beer to attract many drinkers to their range.
Brew Day
Let’s get stuck into brewing a stock standard Kölsch. Keep it simple with the grain and hop bills, make sure you get fresh plump malt and fresh hops, and chose your yeast carefully. As John Palmer told us in his article, make sure you over pitch here to help clean up any undesirable flavour and aroma profiles, and allow it to sit and mature. Get your water to a nice “soft” profile and ensure you can ferment at around 14°C to 20°C.
This recipe comes from Luke Chick up in Darwin. His recipe looks great, and with the addition of some wheat and toffee malt it will make a wonderful, malty smooth Kölsch. Luke has had success in comps with this recipe so thank you mate for sharing. Cheers Luke!
Brewing music should be some German metal, so get into some Kreator or Destruction.
Recipe: Kölsch the First
All grain (expected figures)
OG: 1.046
FG: 1.010
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 24
Volume: 20 litres
Ingredients
3.75kg Gladfield Pilsener Malt
270g Gladfield Wheat malt
190g Gladfield Toffee malt
72g Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hop pellets
3 packs White Labs WLP029
German Ale/Kölsch yeast
Method
1. Mash in at 68°C for 60 minutes.
2. Sparge and transfer to kettle.
3. Bring to a boil and add 36g hops.
4. With 10 minutes left on the boil, add remaining 36g hops.
5. At 60 minutes, flame out and whirlpool.
6. Cool wort to 15°C and run into fermenter.
7. Oxygenate or aerate well (due to high pitch rate) and pitch yeast.
8. Ferment and maintain 15°C.
9. After seven days when primary fermentation dies down, increase temp to 18°C for another two or three days.
10. When FG stabilises, keg or bottle as usual.
11. This beer will benefit from cold storage or “lagering”.
Extract with specialty grain (expected figures)
OG: 1.046
FG: 1.010
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 24
Volume: 20 litres
Ingredients
2.8kg Pilsener extract
270g Gladfield Wheat malt
190g Gladfield Toffee malt
72g Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hop pellets
3 packs White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch yeast
Method
1. Heat six litre of water in your brew pot to 73°C.
2. Place cracked grain in grain bag and mash in at 68°C for 40 minutes.
3. Remove grain and allow to drain, then bring to a boil.
4. Add half the extract, stir to mix thoroughly.
5. Bring to the boil and add 36g hops for a 60 minute boil.
6. With 10 minutes left on the boil, add the remaining 36g hops.
7. At 60 minutes, flameout and whirlpool.
8. Place pot in an ice bath and cool wort then add into fermenter leaving behind as much sediment and trub as possible. As wort is cooling add remaining extract.
9. Add cool fresh filtered water up to 17 litres, checking temp constantly to hit 15°C.
10. Top up last three litres with cool or warm water to hit 20 litres at 15°C.
11. Oxygenate or aerate well (due to high pitch rate) and pitch yeast.
12. Maintain 15°C during fermentation.
13. After seven days when primary fermentation dies down, increase temp to 18°C for another two or three days.
14. When FG stabilises, keg or bottle as usual.
15. This beer will benefit from cold storage or “lagering”.
For all the other recipes in our continuing weekly series, head here. If you have a recipe you’d like to share with us, email Deb on djackson@intermedia.com.au.